Grandmother's Concord Grape Pie

Your children and/or grandchildren can be assigned the "fun" job of squeezing the skins off the grapes.

Pastry for a double-crusted 9-inch pie*

6 cups washed and stemmed Concord grapes

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

Roll out half the dough to line a 9-inch pie pan. Refrigerate the lined pie pan and the remaining dough while you make the filling.

Slip the skins from the grapes, placing the grape pulp directly into a heavy saucepan. Coarse-chop the skins and set aside in a bowl.

Bring the pulp to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until the seeds are loosened. Let cool slightly then pass the pulp through a strainer or use a food mill directly into the bowl with the skins. Discard the seeds. Stir in the sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and butter; mix well.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the grape mixture to the prepared bottom pie crust. Roll out the top crust and cover the filling. Crimp the edges of the pie crusts together well so the juices cannot leak out. Cut a few slits in the top crust so steam can escape during baking.

Bake in the center of the oven 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned. Cool completely before serving. Makes 12 servings.